Sophie & Kris’ Wedding | Norwood Park

The couple married at Norwood park and knew the venue was perfect for their summer wedding. There was a special sign of approval on their first visit – one that will make your heart melt!

How did you meet?We met at work in 2012. Kris was a footwear buyer and I was a clothing designer. I didn’t really know who he was until he added me on Twitter! We got chatting and then he added me on Blackberry messenger…old school! At first I thought Kris was really quiet and shy but when I got to know him I realised he was equally as silly as me!We bought our first house together in 2016 and got a little puppy. We also have a cat. It can be quite a crazy household at times!

Tell us about the proposal?For my 30th birthday present Kris took me on a surprise weekend to London. We had a lovely day out shopping and Kris booked a surprise for the evening which turned out to be a trip to the top of The Shard! It had been raining all day but as we got up there the rain cleared and the views were amazing as the sun was setting. Kris had arranged champagne and it was lovely and romantic. Kris was acting a little strangely – I thought was because he isn’t a fan of heights so i didn’t think too much of it! After a while he went off to look for their official camera man to take a photo for us. I turned around as he came back and suddenly he was on one knee asking me to be his wife! I was so surprised and happy, of course I said YES!!

How did you find the wedding planning process?

Our early planning went really well, We found my dress, our florist, hair/MUA , band, photo booth and photographer quite early on. Five months before the wedding I went skiing and had a bad accident tearing the three main ligaments in my knee. I had reconstructive surgery and then another procedure two months later. I was in a leg brace for weeks and using crutches as well as taking 3 months off work. This put a halt on the planning and it was quite a stressful time. The hospital knew about our wedding and really worked me hard so I could walk down that aisle without crutches. The only thing I managed to do while I was injured was design the wedding invites and get these sent out! The last couple of months before the wedding were busy but I tried not to get stressed. My nickname was ‘bride-chilla’! After a hard few months I wanted to enjoy it!

How did you choose your vendors?We spent a lot of time researching online and visiting different wedding fairs looking for the right vendors for us! We met our Photographer Ian Bursill at a wedding fair at Norwood Park and our florist Mrs Umbels was recommended by our venue. We found our band and also hair and make up artist using Google and Facebook, and our photo booth I found when visiting a wedding fair with one of my bridesmaids. Luckily one of my brother’s best friends Luke Baker is an acoustic guitarist/ singer so he was the easiest to find!

What made you decide on your venue?We knew as soon as we visited Norwood Park that it was the one for us. I know it sounds so cheesy but we just had THAT feeling! The beautiful Georgian house was so light and bright and really had the WOW factor without feeling pretentious. Another factor that made us think it was the right venue for us was on our first visit there was a little robin which had flown in from outside. Kris’ ‘granma’ had always said that she would come back as a robin so to us this was a massive sign that she was giving it her approval!

The separate red brick building for the evening reception had a large dance floor and opened out onto a cobbled courtyard with fairy lights. It was great for keeping everybody together rather than the inside/outside separation. One of our requirements was accommodation on site and at Norwood they have rooms in the main house for guests. The rooms were beautiful and it just felt like our own home for the day and night.

Tell us about the dress!My dress was the ‘Avery’ dress by Maggie Sottero and I LOVED it! I visited three or four shops and I really struggled to find anything that I liked! I thought I wanted sleeves and something quite simple, definitely no bling…..and ended up with the opposite! It had an embellished bodice with an illusion plunging neckline and open back, beading and embroidery, and delicate lace appliqués that flowed into a tulle skirt. It had quite a romantic boho vintage feel which really suited our theme and I could really imagine wearing it on the day!

Because of my injury I couldn’t wear heels so I wore Vivienne Westwood blush and rose gold flat. They suited the colours of the flowers and décor and I was so comfortable! I wore a real flower hair comb to match my flowers and I kept my jewellery quite simple; a tiffany bracelet (my something ‘borrowed’) from a good friend and some Tiffany heart earrings which Kris had left me that morning for my wedding present.

What did your groom wear?Kris wore a bright blue suit from Hugo Boss – he wears a suit every day for work so he wanted a special one for the wedding! His favourite colour is red so to incorporate this into the day he wore a burgundy floral bow tie which matched the groomsmen’s ties. He wore brown brogues from Dune, his white shirt and burgundy socks were from Next and he wore a burgundy wool watch strap with his watch, which I had bought him from Shore Project as part of his wedding present to finish off the outfit. He looked very handsome!

Flowers, cakes, stationery – tell us about your style!

We chose blush pinks and corals for our flowers with lots of gorgeous green foliage in a wild style. Sarah (Mrs Umbels) was so helpful and creative She was great and understood exactly what we were looking for. We wanted everything to be bright and summery – nothing too neat; a romantic boho feel with a modern twist ! I used the colours of the flowers to design floral invites and added a modern feel with rose gold decoration around the venue.

The cake, made by my friend Louise, was a semi naked cake with rose gold dripping and lots of flowers for decoration. It looked and tasted amazing!We wanted a relaxed feel so didn’t just go for one colour theme. We loosely based it around the flowers so my bridemaids wore grey beaded cold shoulder dresses, but wore coral heels to match the bouquets, and the groomsmen wore burgundy floral ties, these matched with Kris’s bespoke buttonhole. I think it all worked really well together.

Tell us about your walk down the aisle!My walk down the aisle was so exciting! I wasn’t nervous, just a little worried that my dad would trip over my dress to start with! I was looking down as we entered the room, then I looked up and saw all our friends and family waiting for me! It was so surreal but amazing! When I saw Kris I couldn’t stop smiling. I really couldn’t have been happier!

What food and drink did you serve your guests?

We went to a food tasting at our venue a few months before the wedding and we were spoilt for choice. The quality and presentation were amazing! We went for a canapé reception after the ceremony, then for the wedding breakfast we chose three courses; duck liver pate followed by pan fried chicken breast with champagne sauce. For dessert we chose passion fruit crème brûlée. In the evening we had an artisan pizza selection. We had so many compliments on the food and couldn’t have been happier!

Most memorable part of the day?

For me walking down the aisle and seeing Kris and the ceremony. Saying our vows in front of all our friends and family was the most memorable part of the day. I could have exploded with happiness! We also just took a minute together at the wedding breakfast to look around at everyone and cherish that moment. All our friends and family were together in one room and that will never happen again – we felt so lucky!

Where did you honeymoon?

We honeymooned in Rhodes, Greece. We had booked a fancy all-inclusive hotel with a swim up room for a treat and on arrival we found that we had been upgraded and had the biggest pool at the hotel! We had a good mix of trips out and relaxing by the pool with cocktails. It was so lovely to spend time together in the sun after such a busy few months. It really was perfect.

Funniest moment?

There were two! Firstly during the ceremony the registrar called me Louise! She was mortified but we found it hilarious!

The second was during Kris’s speech. He started talking about me and wanted to thank me for everything that I’ve done for him during our relationship. Instead he accidentally declared ‘ Thank you for everything that you have done TO me!!’ The room erupted with laughter at the comment! Definitely unforgettable memories.

What tips or advice do you have for couples planning their wedding?

I think the biggest thing is to remember to enjoy the day! It’s so easy to stress about what’s happening next and are the guests having a good time – it’s your day so enjoy and let the day unfold itself. Our advice for the planning process is not to worry too much about the little things and remember what the wedding is all about – marrying the person you love! Everybody wants the perfect day but no one will remember what your table confetti or table plan looks like after a few weeks. It’s lovely to have these extras but not worth getting stressed about.